


nous aurons pour nous l'éternité

by prufrocking



Category: Inception (2010)
Genre: Dancing, F/M, Gratuitous French, Past Relationship(s), Post-Canon, Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-01-23
Updated: 2011-01-23
Packaged: 2018-04-12 01:27:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,618
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4459997
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/prufrocking/pseuds/prufrocking
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For the inception_kink prompt: <a href="http://inception-kink.livejournal.com/12989.html?thread=28827069#t28827069">"The first time Ariadne and Cobb dance together is at Yusuf's wedding, and it leads to something more."</a></p><p>Originally posted in January 2011 and I decided to finally de-anon after over four and a half years because why the bloody hell not.</p>
            </blockquote>





	nous aurons pour nous l'éternité

**Author's Note:**

> I got hideously nostalgic over this fandom after unearthing my old Inception WIPs file the other day. I was under the impression that I never actually finished anything until the memory of writing and posting this came to me in a—and I can't make this shit up—dream. So I checked and, lo and behold, it was actually real.
> 
> Miraculously, I don't hate this fic and I'm planning on maybe— _maybe_ —revisiting the WIPs so I'm taking it as a sign to finally put my name on this thing, lol.

Ariadne is happy for Yusuf. No, _really_. Gloria is a beautiful girl, smart and witty, and she happens to have a strange sixth sense whenever Yusuf gets himself into trouble. It’s that last bit that convinced everyone they were made for each other, and the fact that she was a frighteningly effective extractor before she decided to retire to help Yusuf manage his sleep den and feed his cats left their relationship uncomplicated. Anyone who had eyes (sometimes even those who didn’t, but that was a story for another time) could see that they made each other exceedingly happy, so happy that even Yusuf’s father—who had initially resolved to disown him when Yusuf told him he was engaged to an Iranian before eventually calming down about the entire situation and giving the relationship something akin to approval—was fighting back tears during the ceremony.

She's ecstatic about their marriage, honestly, and that happiness is exactly why she's currently at the reception's open bar trying to drown her sorrows in wonderful alcohol. Absolutely nothing to do with the fact that Ted called her up literally last night to inform her that even if they had put in a good two years in their relationship, he couldn't handle her constantly dropping everything to go be with Philippa and James if Cobb called; “For God's sake, Ari, they're not even _yours_ ,” he had said, New Zealand lilting in his voice in an attractively repulsive sort of way.

Of course, never mind the fact that she had invested the last six years in helping raise the Cobb children, starting well before she even met Ted. In her defence, they _did_ require a village to raise them: Arthur was their godfather and spent a lot of time with them before Mal's death, though that changed when he decided to stay at Dom’s side following the murder charges; Yusuf was genuinely worried about the environment they were growing up in now that their more-than-slightly-unhinged father had come home, his share of the Fischer job be damned; Eames was just following along for the hell of it because he had nothing better to do except avoid getting that price on his head cashed in (it also helped that James absolutely adored him, much to Arthur's annoyance); and even Saito had some extra cash to burn, becoming their strangely indulgent uncle in the process. Granted, Ariadne spent more time with them than all the men combined, but that was just because she was conveniently located and not actively working dreamshare nor managing a huge energy conglomerate. Ted was just a stupid, jealous prick who jumped to conclusions, and she was most definitely not getting drunk because of him. (In retrospect, she would be perfectly willing to admit that the copious amounts of wine and champagne she was consuming had a little something to do with the fact that she told Ted after one of his earlier jealous rages that she had actually kind of _had_ a huge crush on Cobb back when they first met, but what did he actually expect, she was twenty-four.)

Yusuf and Gloria are dancing closely together near the center of the hall, and their first dance has gone on long enough that some of the guests are starting to trickle onto the floor themselves. From the corner of her eye she can see Yusuf's niece dragging James onto the floor (they're going to have a fun time teasing those two when they're old enough to understand), and in the distance, if she squints like Cobb does, she can see Arthur laughing as Eames fails to coax him off his chair because he’s clearly not drunk enough to start dancing with him in public (yet, anyway, she notes). Ariadne _doesn't_ , however, see Cobb anywhere, and she's not sure if she's ready to admit to herself if that relieves her or distresses her. Arthur had informed her that Cobb's gone out on a few dates with nice girls but nothing serious came out of those short-lived relationships, and on one occasion even a man (though that didn't really work out past the first half hour, which Arthur would admit was a relief because it had actually been Eames's bad idea of a joke). Cobb claimed it was an attempt to finally bury Mal properly and that he hadn't been haunted by any projections of her since the Fischer job was pulled off, but Arthur wasn't so sure he was completely ready to start dating again. Besides, there was still the matter of the kids; Cobb had only trusted three women to raise them, and they were Mal, his mother, and Ariadne. Only one of those three was actually still alive. That’s something she’s definitely not ready to realise and—

Oh. That’s where Cobb’s been. Five yards away, having a conversation with a nice redhead with shiny curled locks that looks strangely like a forgery she’s seen Eames do once. Cobb’s eyes are soft as she speaks, much softer than Ariadne’s used to. They look nice together; of course, it isn’t any comparison to how Mal and Dom looked, but even she had to admit that would just be an unfair standard to grade by.

Ariadne tosses back the rest of her champagne like it’s a shot of whiskey, only to immediately regret it thereafter as she feels a strange sensation in her nose as it bubbles sliding down her throat. She’s not drunk enough that her vision’s swimming in her eyes and she feels like she’s about to fall over, but apparently she is drunk enough to make stupid decisions like chugging champagne. Ariadne winces as she forces herself to keep it down, which just happens to be enough to make her miss Cobb excusing himself from the ginger after catching her in his eye.

“Champagne too sharp?” he asks, causing Ariadne to jump up in her seat.

She starts coughing. “No, I’m fine. It just went down the wrong way.”

Ariadne places her glass on the counter and is about to signal the bartender to ask for another refill when Cobb grabs her hand before she can do so. “I think that’s enough alcohol for one night, Ariadne.”

“I’ve only had two glasses,” she protests. Cobb’s good at being the human Ariadne Polygraph, but she hopes that he was distracted enough with the redhead that he doesn’t notice her deliberately accidental miscounting.

Too bad the world hates Ariadne. “Five if you count the wine.” Ariadne expects to see a disappointed look on his face when she looks at him but is surprised to greeted by an amused expression instead. “I would say that I’m surprised you’re still speaking coherently, but I was a student in France once, too.”

Ariadne laughs because she’s not expecting Cobb to say something so light-hearted, but she supposes that Yusuf’s and Gloria’s happiness is extremely contagious. Just not contagious enough.

It’s not until Cobb says “Whatever happened, it’s not worth the liver poisoning” that she realises she drunkenly said that out loud.

The reception band changes songs from an obscure song in Persian that Ariadne had never heard before but recognises as one of Gloria’s favourite songs to Édith Piaf’s “Hymne Á L’Amour” (how many languages does this singer know, anyway?).

Ariadne blurts, "I love this song!" before remembering exactly what the song meant to her, lovely memories about Ted flooding back at her. It was the song playing on the radio when they met in Ariadne's favourite Parisian cafè (or at least just the one closest to her flat). Ted was working the counter and Ariadne had recognised him as one of the most amazing painters at the university and they bonded over Piaf and neckscarves. She loves this song, but it's definitely not one she wants to be listening to right now.

As if he can read minds, Cobb gives her hand a slight tug and smiles comfortingly, “Let’s go.”

Cobb is exactly why Ted broke it off in the first place, and dancing with him feels like precisely the wrong thing to do, but before Ariadne realises she’s actually doing it, she places her hand properly in his and jumps off her bar stool before letting him lead her past the strange triangle Philippa has made dancing with her Uncles Arthur and Eames.

They stop a few paces away from the three, and Ariadne’s heart is racing at her proximity to Cobb; she’s panicking and her arms are jerking awkwardly because she doesn’t know where to put them because she’s a good head shorter than him.

Cobb puts his arms around her shoulder and pulls her in toward him. He places a hand on the back of her head and draws her head toward his chest. Almost instantly, Ariadne begins calming down.

It’s a little strange when they finally settle, Ariadne practically tucked into Cobb’s body beneath his neck as they stand with each other. She sinks into his warmth, though, when he puts his chin on the top of her head. She closes her eyes, wraps her arms around Cobb’s waist, and starts humming along as the singer belts out “ _Tant que mon corps frémira sous tes mains_ ,” thinking that she might want to stay like this forever.

She doesn’t expect that thought, and it blindsides her when it finally occurs to her; maybe Ted was right in being a jealously suspicious prick, that there was _something_ there that Ariadne never noticed. What surprises her most of all, though, is how she realises that she doesn’t actually mind this _something_.

(She’s not sure if she accidentally says that out loud again, but Cobb doesn’t say anything and only draws Ariadne in closer.)

**Author's Note:**

> Come laugh at me for not being able to finish anything I start yet never letting go of what I can't finish over at my [Tumblr](http://prufrockings.tumblr.com).


End file.
